The Perception of the MLS in England


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Tribe mentality when groups are segregated. Integrated supporters in other sports works perfectly well
well... ???? It doesn't work so well sometimes - ever been to a Dodger game? Those Dodger fans are brutal...
 
Tribe mentality when groups are segregated. Integrated supporters in other sports works perfectly well

But that tribe mentality is what makes English football the best imo, the feeling of us and them. In most of Europe they have ultra sections, which are led by a cheerleader, which robs it of the natural flowing atmosohere imo.
 
It's always going to be seen as an easy last gig before retirement for many European strikers and AMs as long as the defences are so poor. Of course, Americans are used to sports being high scoring (not necessarily a criticism, it's just culture) so that may be difficult to break.

'Soccer' also seems to be exclusively middle class/college educated over there, which again is completely different from European football culture which was built on working class fans identifying with the players.
 
Until it gets rid of the franchise aspect and brings in Pro/rel I can't see it ever being taking too seriously. Just been reading about Canada creating a new 'Premier League' starting next year, with long term idea of having football clubs instead of franchises and pro/rel between 3 divisions, be interesting to see how that goes down in North America.


This for me. Pro/rel would do wonders for the league. Don't see it happening which is a shame.
 
I’m a big believer that by and large the British and American attitude towards sport is so fundamentally different it can never be reconciled. As a result American football will always be a franchised Disney rip off.

There’s nothing as tribal as football in Britain and even Western Europe. Most English clubs have got 100 years plus of influence on their respective communities. I find the American attempt to replicate this culture incredibly cringeworthy.
 
Spot on


I’m a big believer that by and large the British and American attitude towards sport is so fundamentally different it can never be reconciled. As a result American football will always be a franchised Disney rip off.

There’s nothing as tribal as football in Britain and even Western Europe. Most English clubs have got 100 years plus of influence on their respective communities. I find the American attempt to replicate this culture incredibly cringeworthy.[/QUOTE
 
Being an American and a fan of football, I have been following the LAFC (Los Angeles Football Club) since talks first started of this team forming three years ago to this, their opening season. I have traveled to away matches in Portland, Seattle, and this weekend, San Jose and I have to say that the quality of play plus the passion of the fans has greatly improved in the past couple of years. I am not comparing it to the Premier League, but comparing the MLS and its fans a few years back to now; there's a huge difference. The fans are chanting, singing, and cheering for the entire game and it's truly a very fun and contagious environment. Football (soccer) is becoming a big thing here in America, and you can see it and feel it when you attend these matches or just walking around some of these cities. The advent of the LAFC is a good thing for the MLS and for Los Angeles, you see a lot of excitement about the team everywhere you go.

There's talk about how the MLS is looked at differently now in England as well, but I rather hear it direct from the source.... so has the perception of the MLS in England truly changed?

The difference is football in europe and south america is inseparable from identity, it is a political machine and a means of representing your area/identity across the world. The clubs are centuries old and the heartbeat of many cities, people from poor areas feel justice when their sides win. The MLS is just a corporate cash in of a popular sport. It isnt about 'quality' it is about so much more than that. The best players in the world could all flock to the USA and you could pull in the biggest sponsorship deals, biggest crowds, and the most global viewers week in week out but your biggest club will still never have the same affection or value as the likes of Santos, Napoli or Liverpool. I'm not one of those that ridicules the MLS or takes the piss, I'd love to see football develop in the USA, but it takes time a long time, for it to actually matter.
 
I'd love to see football develop in the USA.

Not sure I understand why. And I don’t get why there are 6 pages of people actually seeming to give a shit. I have the same level of interest in US soccer as I have in Chinese or Albanian football. Which is admittedly only just slightly less than English football at the moment but there y’go.
 
I became quite fond of the MLS when living in America as was a nice fix. LA Galaxy man as the local team when I was there and got tickets through work, but always had a soft spot for Chivas at the time because of the strip (I appreciate they were rivals).
 
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A graveyard for footballers unfortunately.
About sums it up for me, too. Most people's perception is that 'It's a place where a lot of players from top leagues, globally, go to for a couple of years to top up their retirement funds, before riding off into the sunset! I can't say that I've ever watched a game, personally, but it does seem to be catching on far better than I, personally expected it to! Been quite a few good American lads, graced our shores, for a few year now, too.. We had the pleasure of watching Claudia Reyna, play for us, a few year back and he was the 'Real Deal' to me, and we've got young Lynden Gooch, who seems to be a very exciting prospect for us, but sadly, in between, we had Jozy Altidore, and to be brutally honest, turned out to be utter, turd! How would you compare the mentality of Fans in MLS to MLB and Football?
 
Good luck to the MLS........hope it keeps improving because football (when played correctly) is a brilliant g sport. I'm glad it's becoming more popular in the states. I suspect it's lower in the pecking order of US sports despite the vast resources the US can throw at....well frankly anything!
Out of interest, Are the fans segregated in MLS games like in the EPL? Or are fans mixed like in US sports like baseball?

There is always a designated away section. Now, sometimes, that's really irrelevant. I was in the Vancouver away section in Colorado one night. There were six of us - four from my family, along with a relocated Scouser and his Vancouver girlfriend.

But sometimes it matters. When Seattle, Portland or Vancouver play each other, there are pretty sizable away sections - over 1,000 at times. We're told to be in an hour before kickoff, although enforcement of that can be a bit lax, and held back briefly at the end. When Vancouver is involved, it's probably a bit of overkill. Seattle and Portland have had a bit of bother, nothing major, but enough the segregation actually is worthwhile. And LA Galaxy-San Jose matches used to have a bit of tension to them in the early 2000s.

I'll add - it isn't hard for an away fan to sit in most of the home areas, save perhaps the dedicated 'supporter' sections.
 
The standard has improved a lot in the last 10 years or so. It’s still pretty low overall though. The fans in the main seem cringeworthy as fuck as well.
 
Being an American and a fan of football, I have been following the LAFC (Los Angeles Football Club) since talks first started of this team forming three years ago to this, their opening season. I have traveled to away matches in Portland, Seattle, and this weekend, San Jose and I have to say that the quality of play plus the passion of the fans has greatly improved in the past couple of years. I am not comparing it to the Premier League, but comparing the MLS and its fans a few years back to now; there's a huge difference. The fans are chanting, singing, and cheering for the entire game and it's truly a very fun and contagious environment. Football (soccer) is becoming a big thing here in America, and you can see it and feel it when you attend these matches or just walking around some of these cities. The advent of the LAFC is a good thing for the MLS and for Los Angeles, you see a lot of excitement about the team everywhere you go.

There's talk about how the MLS is looked at differently now in England as well, but I rather hear it direct from the source.... so has the perception of the MLS in England truly changed?
No its still pub league footy
 
It's definitely getting better. I've only ever watched it on TV but fellow Sunderland fans I know have been to games while over there with work and really enjoyed it. The quality of players is improving, but there is still a long way to go.
 
Being an American and a fan of football, I have been following the LAFC (Los Angeles Football Club) since talks first started of this team forming three years ago to this, their opening season. I have traveled to away matches in Portland, Seattle, and this weekend, San Jose and I have to say that the quality of play plus the passion of the fans has greatly improved in the past couple of years. I am not comparing it to the Premier League, but comparing the MLS and its fans a few years back to now; there's a huge difference. The fans are chanting, singing, and cheering for the entire game and it's truly a very fun and contagious environment. Football (soccer) is becoming a big thing here in America, and you can see it and feel it when you attend these matches or just walking around some of these cities. The advent of the LAFC is a good thing for the MLS and for Los Angeles, you see a lot of excitement about the team everywhere you go.

There's talk about how the MLS is looked at differently now in England as well, but I rather hear it direct from the source.... so has the perception of the MLS in England truly changed?

As far as I'm concerned, the MLS (like China and the Middle East) is where players with a bit of skill go to retire on a massive paycheck once they're too old and too slow to play in a "proper" league.

This is an improvement on 20 years ago when it was a place hardly any footballer would go after playing in a proper league.

If attendances are improving over there then presumably it won't be too long before the MLS becomes a genuinely competitive league.

What's the draft thing all about though? How does that work?
 
@The Lonious Monk What's the feeling in the US about the attempts to move Colombus to Austin?

Shame, as the football over there seemed to have avoided such franchising so far?

It's this sort of thing, alongside the lack of promotion/relegation, that will really struggle to see the MLS be taken seriously in Europe.
 
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